She shrugged. “Not really.”
His breath came out a little forcefully. “All right, I’ll take you to an excellent downtown restaurant. They have an extremely varied menu and a great wine cellar. I’m sure you’ll find something you like there.”
“It sounds great. Thanks, J.R. It really is nice of you to go to all this trouble.”
She was rewarded with a tight smile. “My pleasure.”
A few minutes later they arrived back at the apartments, and George helped carry her purchases inside.
“Just dump them on the couch,” she said, as he stood, looking a little unsure of himself, in the middle of her living room.
“Won’t you need this stuff in the…er…bedroom?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest he help her make up the bed, but she stopped herself just in time. “Thanks, but I’ll take care of it later. I’ll let you get back to your errands.”
He flashed her a quick glance. “Oh, well, it was nothing important.” He dropped the heavy packages on the couch. “Sure you can manage?”
“Sure. Thanks a heap for taking me shopping.”
“Anytime. Though you will have to see about a car eventually. Our transportation services are pretty good, but if you want to get around outside the city you’ll need a car.”
“Oh, I plan to get one. I sold mine before I left Willow Falls. It was falling apart anyway.” She gazed up at him. “I could really use some good advice on buying a car.”
George coughed. “Well, I’m no expert, but I guess I could give you some pointers.”
“Super. We’ll check out some used cars.” She moved over to the door and opened it. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Later?”
“For dinner?”
“Oh, right!” He hurried over to the door. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I’ll be ready.” She beamed at him.
He bumped his shoulder as he went through the door. He didn’t seem to notice.
She closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment as her smile faded. George was a challenge and she’d enjoyed rattling his cage. For a little while life had been fun again. For a little while she’d forgotten why she’d left home to start life all over again in a strange town. For a little while she’d even managed to keep Luke’s face out of her mind, and the cruel words he’d flung at her that last day just before he’d roared off in a hot cloud of dust.
The pain was still there, and it hurt just as much now as it had then. But she was learning to deal with it. And soon she’d face her problem and do something about it. But not now. Not yet. Not until she couldn’t avoid it any longer.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.